One year ago, I sat in the immaculate Brown Theatre and watched as the stage filled slowly with children dressed as members of the Christmas Nativity—some dressed as fluffy lambs, one as a king in a robe, one as Mary with her hair veiled as she looked adoringly at the bundle in her arms, while her "husband" looked on.
And then yet others were dressed as Angels.
However, this was not your typical elementary school Christmas pageant because, as Dan Michalak, founder of Angels in Disguise – a Down Syndrome advocacy and acceptance nonprofit – likes to point out, all the children participating were angels.
Angels in disguise who had Down Syndrome.
They danced, sang and acted—all with musical features by composer and pianist Eric Genuis. At the end of the evening, as cliché as it sounds, there simply was not a dry eye in the house (I think I went through an entire packet of Kleenex), as we had watched these children so full of life show us what it truly means to celebrate the season.
This Saturday, December 7 at 7:00pm, Angels in Disguise is hosting another concert at the Brown Theatre to celebrate the gift of Down Syndrome—Angels in Disguise presents “Do You See What I See?” Country Christmas Concert.
It promises to be a special evening of music, performance, pictures and personal stories showcasing the talents, accomplishments and smiles of Angels, featuring award winning Nashville artists Jamie O'Neal and Marie Bellet, with Louisville's own, Byron Lukins.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.
Proceeds benefit, and tickets are also available through, Best Buddies, Down Syndrome of Louisville, Dreams With Wings, Immaculata Classical Academy, and many more friends of Angels.
More information about the event and about Angels in Disguise can be found at angelsindisguise.net as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo courtesy of Angels in Disguise
